Privacy Policy

Your museum and iCloud

The app stores the things and stories you create, including names, dates, original photos, subject cutouts, image treatments, written memories, quotes, and attached song or place details. You do not need a separate The Thing Is account.

Museum content synchronizes through your Apple Account’s private iCloud database. A local save can remain only on your device until iCloud is available. Account, storage, and network problems can delay synchronization. The developer does not operate a separate server that receives your museum content. Apple operates iCloud under Apple’s Privacy Policy.

Photos and camera access

The camera is used when you photograph a thing or search your museum with a photo. Photo import uses Apple’s system picker to access the images you select. Saving an exported image asks for permission to add it to Photos. Imported photos may retain information contained in the original image file.

Photo search and subject cutouts are processed on your device. On iPhone, View in AR creates a local exhibit preview; Apple’s AR Quick Look handles camera access and placement in your surroundings. The app keeps generated AR preview files in a local cache.

Optional suggestions and local caches

Suggested names and story questions use Apple’s on-device language model and photo analysis. The app keeps a limited local cache of generated questions and photo descriptions, along with local photo-search descriptors, to avoid repeating work. These features depend on device and model availability; you can write your own content.

Deleting a thing removes its generated questions and associated photo descriptions when the deletion is processed on that device. A description can remain if another thing still uses the same photo. Other temporary caches are discussed under deletion below.

Music, places, and journaling suggestions

Song searches, cover artwork, and short previews request content from Apple’s music services. Search terms and catalog requests go to those services. Song search and recently played songs require Apple Music permission. Your museum stores song details and may store cover artwork; it does not store the song’s audio recording.

Place search and maps use Apple’s mapping services. Search terms and requests for map content go to Apple. When you ask for nearby places, the app requests your location while in use and uses it to search nearby. It does not request continuous background location. An attached place can include its name, address, and coordinates.

Apple’s Journaling Suggestions picker provides the supported content you choose to import. You review it before adding it to your museum. Unsupported attachments are omitted, and a Live Photo is imported as a still image. Apple’s handling of these services is covered by its privacy policy and service-specific privacy information.

Imports, widgets, system search, and Apple Watch

Photos sent through the share extension wait in a local inbox until you save the new thing or discard the import. Widgets use a local copy of museum names and artwork; that content can be visible to people who can see your widgets.

System search indexes museum names, thumbnails, excerpts of written stories and quotes, song titles and artists, and place names on your device. Search results show a thing’s name, thumbnail, and story count. System search and Siri can help open a saved thing. If you use the companion Apple Watch app, a museum copy is transferred to your paired Watch through Apple’s device connectivity service, and stories you add there are sent back.

Sharing and exports

Sharing or exporting sends the content you include to a destination you choose. Image exports contain the museum content in your composition; the system AR preview may also offer sharing of the exhibit file. Destinations include other apps, Photos, and the clipboard. Copies received by another person or service are then under their control.

Collaboration controls are unavailable in the current release. Existing shared things and accepted invitations can still use Apple’s CloudKit sharing service. Authorized participants can access shared content according to the share’s permissions.

Deletion and retention

The app retains saved museum content until you remove it. Deleting a thing removes its saved content and associated stories and schedules the deletion for iCloud sync. Other devices may keep an earlier copy until they receive that deletion.

Temporary artwork, map, AR-preview, widget, and system-search copies can remain until refreshed or cleared by the app or system. Deletion does not remove exports, photos saved to your library, messages sent to support, or copies held by other people. Device backups and Apple’s service retention depend on Apple’s settings and policies.

Diagnostics and support information

The app writes operational errors to the device’s system logs and does not include an independent advertising or third-party analytics SDK. Apple may provide app diagnostics and usage reports according to youranalytics sharing settings. During beta testing, Apple collects and shares crash information, usage information, and submitted feedback under itsTestFlight privacy terms.

If you email support, the developer receives your email address, message, and any attachments to investigate and respond. Remove private stories and photos from feedback unless they are necessary and you intend to share them. Contact us about access to or deletion of information you have sent; deleting a thing does not delete support correspondence or beta feedback.

This website

This website is hosted by Vercel. The website code does not add analytics, advertising trackers, or application cookies, and its fonts and images are served with the site. Vercel receives request information, including your IP address and requested pages, to deliver and protect the website, and may retain service or security logs. See Vercel’s Privacy Notice. Following an external link takes you to that service, where its own privacy practices apply.

Privacy questions

Email Bilguun Enkhbayar atbilguunone@icloud.comfor privacy questions or requests about information you have sent. For app problems, visit Support.